Infor is to acquire SSA Global in a $1.4bn (£0.74bn)
deal that will create the world’s third largest enterprise software
firm.
The deal is set to step up competition in the business
applications field, throwing a third major player into the ring
with rivals Oracle and SAP.
SSA, formed in 2000, has grown rapidly, with a series of
acquisitions building up a stable of enterprise resource planning
applications. Since April 2001, the firm has bought 10 companies,
including Epiphany, Boniva, CA’s interBiz Product Group, Infinium
Software, Ironside Technologies and pioneering ERP ve Baan.
Infor, owned by private equity firms Golden Gate Capital and
Summit Partners, has also grown by acquisition, taking over GEAC’s
ERP software business and Mapics last year.
Jim Schaper, Infor’s chief executive, said, “With this
acquisition, Infor will become the third largest enterprise
software provider in the industry with approximately $1.6bn in
revenue.”
SSA chief executive Mike Greenough said, “In a rapidly
consolidating marketplace we have seen that size and scale matter.
This transaction brings value to all of our key stakeholders: our
investors, our customers and our employees.”